If you've never been blown away by the generosity of others, or haven't seen the Body of Christ in action, I have a story to tell you. It's given me a new sense of hope in not only what we're doing in our lives, but what the Lord does in the lives of others.
Well,Bax and I are currently in transition with his new job, and for various reasons we received half a paycheck to last us a month and a half, and yeah, it's been pretty rough and stressful, and we've been praying that God would give us an answer as to what to do. We decided to see what God wanted to use this time for and not to use credit card, and REALLY didn't want to resort to borrowing from family. Baxter has a small group from his seminary class that meets every tuesday night. I'm not all together sure what they do there, I know that Baxter enjoys it, but I've never met them, and don't really hear much about it, until this week. They have a time to focus on prayer requests and Baxter shared what we were going through this month. Apparently, after the meeting was over, two of the men stopped him and they both handed him checks. One for $250, and the other for $1000. No expectancy for this to be paid back. Baxter called me on his way home in tears, and we were just overwhelmed with what God had done for our faith, through these men. Not only did He meet our needs, but also reassured us once again that He has a plan and is continuously working in our lives. It's been awesome to see.
Thanks guys.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Misguided Experiment
A self proclaimed agnostic decided to "live by the bible" for a whole year and learn the effects, or see what he had been missing. He then wrote a book about his experience. Here's an interview he gave concerning his year.
You call yourself an “agnostic Jew” in the book. Why did you even decide to do this? What could the possible benefit be?
This was my most radical experiment yet. It affected everything I did – the way I ate, talked, dressed, thought, and touched my wife.
I did it because I wanted to see if I was missing anything. And I have to say, the benefits were huge. I’ve carried over a lot of thinking and behavior from my Year of Living Biblically. Even if you aren’t particularly religious – in fact, even if you’re a diehard atheist – I believe there are lessons to be learned from the Bible and a biblical lifestyle.
What was hardest for you?
Two types of rules were hardest for me. First, there was avoiding the sins we commit every day – no lying, no gossiping, no coveting. I’m a journalist in New York. That’s like 70 percent of my day.
The second type of difficult rules were those that will get you into trouble if you follow them in modern-day America. For instance, the Old Testament rule that you should stone adulterers. Luckily, I was able to stone one adulterer. I was in the park dressed in my biblical garb (white clothes, a beard, sandals, walking stick) and a man came up to me and asked why I was dressed so strangely. He seemed hostile right from the start. I explained to him my project. And he said “I’m an adulterer. Are you going to stone me?” I said, “That would be great.”
I took out a handful of pebbles – because the Bible never specifies the size of the stones. This man actually grabbed the stones from my hand and chucked them at my face. I felt I had the right to retaliate, so I tossed a pebble at him. And in that way I stoned.
Do you think many people are misguided in their “creed over deed” mentality?
[Note from Tim: “Creed over deed” refers to people who value religious belief more than moral behavior. “Deed over creed” would be the opposite.]
I wouldn’t say misguided. But I’d say most of us do underestimate the power that behavior has to shape thought.
It’s astounding. I watched it happen to myself. For instance, I forced myself to stop gossiping, and eventually I started to have fewer petty thoughts to gossip about. I forced myself to help the needy, and found myself becoming less self-absorbed. I never became Ghandi or Angelina Jolie, but I made some strides.
I even watched it happen with prayer. After a year of praying, I started to believe there’s something to the idea of sacredness. It was remarkable. So if you want to become someone different, just start acting like the person you want to be. It’s like that business motto – ‘fake it till you make it’ – but it works on a spiritual and ethical level as well.
Even with my wardrobe, I saw how the outer affects the inner. There’s a line in the Bible that says your “garments should always be white.” I decided to take that literally, and walked around in white clothes. It affected my mood. I felt happier, lighter. Clothes make the man. I felt I couldn’t be in a bad mood if I looked like I was about to play the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
What were some of the greatest benefits of following rules to the letter, and what are the things that have stuck with you since ending the experiment?
It was fascinating. I’d always loved freedom of choice. It’s why I went to a loosey-goosey liberal arts college with no core requirements. But this experiment was all about freedom FROM choice. Or at least a minimal-choice lifestyle. I had a set structure: Should I read the gossip magazine about Cameron Diaz’s latest sex romp? No. Should I give 10 percent of my money to the needy? Yes. Should I turn off my email on the Sabbath (as both the Bible and Tim Ferriss recommend)? Yes.
In fact, there was something Ferriss-esque about the entire way of living. It reminded me of your low-information diet, for instance. In some ways, it was a huge time-saver.
What would you call yourself now?
I’d call myself a “reverent agnostic.” Whether or not there is a God, I believe there’s something to the idea of sacredness. Rituals can be sacred. The Sabbath can be sacred. And there’s an importance to that.
I’d also say that I’m a fan of cafeteria spirituality. During my experiment, I learned that you cannot follow the entire Bible. It’s impossible. You must pick and choose. Everyone does it, whether they admit it or not. Otherwise, we’d end up stoning adulterers on the street.
Some call this ‘cafeteria religion,’ and it’s meant as a disparaging phrase. But I say: There is nothing wrong with cafeterias! I’ve had some great meals at cafeterias. I’ve also had some turkey tetrazzini that made me dry heave. The key is to chose the right dishes – the ones about compassion and tolerance, and leave the ones about hatred and intolerance on the side. So in my year, there was this amazing balance between choosing your religion, which then leads to fewer decisions on a daily basis.
And finally, I’d call myself a reformed individualist. I still see the value of individualism, but I’ve taken it down a few notches. As one of my spiritual advisers told me, you can look at life in one of two ways: As a series of rights and entitlements, or as a series of responsibilities. The biblical way is to look at it as a series of responsibilities – to your family and to your society. It’s like the JFK quote – “ask not what your country (or world) can do for you, ask what you can do for your country (or world).”
What was the hardest for your wife to put up with?
Well, my wife’s a saint. At one point, I built a biblical hut in our living room, and she didn’t appreciate the construction project in our apartment. Also, the Bible says not to touch women during that time of the month. Even more strictly, though, it says you shouldn’t sit in a seat where an “impure” woman has sat. My wife didn’t like that, so in retaliation, she sat on every seat in our apartment. I was forced to do a lot of standing that year.
It seems he didn't understand the concept of what happened in the New Testament, a Savior who sacrificed His perfect life for the good of all man. And even though he experienced what God can do in his life by following the superficial lifestyle of a Christian, because he didn't connect it with Jesus, the truth that was blatantly staring him in his face, seemed to escape him. It's sad.
You call yourself an “agnostic Jew” in the book. Why did you even decide to do this? What could the possible benefit be?
This was my most radical experiment yet. It affected everything I did – the way I ate, talked, dressed, thought, and touched my wife.
I did it because I wanted to see if I was missing anything. And I have to say, the benefits were huge. I’ve carried over a lot of thinking and behavior from my Year of Living Biblically. Even if you aren’t particularly religious – in fact, even if you’re a diehard atheist – I believe there are lessons to be learned from the Bible and a biblical lifestyle.
What was hardest for you?
Two types of rules were hardest for me. First, there was avoiding the sins we commit every day – no lying, no gossiping, no coveting. I’m a journalist in New York. That’s like 70 percent of my day.
The second type of difficult rules were those that will get you into trouble if you follow them in modern-day America. For instance, the Old Testament rule that you should stone adulterers. Luckily, I was able to stone one adulterer. I was in the park dressed in my biblical garb (white clothes, a beard, sandals, walking stick) and a man came up to me and asked why I was dressed so strangely. He seemed hostile right from the start. I explained to him my project. And he said “I’m an adulterer. Are you going to stone me?” I said, “That would be great.”
I took out a handful of pebbles – because the Bible never specifies the size of the stones. This man actually grabbed the stones from my hand and chucked them at my face. I felt I had the right to retaliate, so I tossed a pebble at him. And in that way I stoned.
Do you think many people are misguided in their “creed over deed” mentality?
[Note from Tim: “Creed over deed” refers to people who value religious belief more than moral behavior. “Deed over creed” would be the opposite.]
I wouldn’t say misguided. But I’d say most of us do underestimate the power that behavior has to shape thought.
It’s astounding. I watched it happen to myself. For instance, I forced myself to stop gossiping, and eventually I started to have fewer petty thoughts to gossip about. I forced myself to help the needy, and found myself becoming less self-absorbed. I never became Ghandi or Angelina Jolie, but I made some strides.
I even watched it happen with prayer. After a year of praying, I started to believe there’s something to the idea of sacredness. It was remarkable. So if you want to become someone different, just start acting like the person you want to be. It’s like that business motto – ‘fake it till you make it’ – but it works on a spiritual and ethical level as well.
Even with my wardrobe, I saw how the outer affects the inner. There’s a line in the Bible that says your “garments should always be white.” I decided to take that literally, and walked around in white clothes. It affected my mood. I felt happier, lighter. Clothes make the man. I felt I couldn’t be in a bad mood if I looked like I was about to play the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
What were some of the greatest benefits of following rules to the letter, and what are the things that have stuck with you since ending the experiment?
It was fascinating. I’d always loved freedom of choice. It’s why I went to a loosey-goosey liberal arts college with no core requirements. But this experiment was all about freedom FROM choice. Or at least a minimal-choice lifestyle. I had a set structure: Should I read the gossip magazine about Cameron Diaz’s latest sex romp? No. Should I give 10 percent of my money to the needy? Yes. Should I turn off my email on the Sabbath (as both the Bible and Tim Ferriss recommend)? Yes.
In fact, there was something Ferriss-esque about the entire way of living. It reminded me of your low-information diet, for instance. In some ways, it was a huge time-saver.
What would you call yourself now?
I’d call myself a “reverent agnostic.” Whether or not there is a God, I believe there’s something to the idea of sacredness. Rituals can be sacred. The Sabbath can be sacred. And there’s an importance to that.
I’d also say that I’m a fan of cafeteria spirituality. During my experiment, I learned that you cannot follow the entire Bible. It’s impossible. You must pick and choose. Everyone does it, whether they admit it or not. Otherwise, we’d end up stoning adulterers on the street.
Some call this ‘cafeteria religion,’ and it’s meant as a disparaging phrase. But I say: There is nothing wrong with cafeterias! I’ve had some great meals at cafeterias. I’ve also had some turkey tetrazzini that made me dry heave. The key is to chose the right dishes – the ones about compassion and tolerance, and leave the ones about hatred and intolerance on the side. So in my year, there was this amazing balance between choosing your religion, which then leads to fewer decisions on a daily basis.
And finally, I’d call myself a reformed individualist. I still see the value of individualism, but I’ve taken it down a few notches. As one of my spiritual advisers told me, you can look at life in one of two ways: As a series of rights and entitlements, or as a series of responsibilities. The biblical way is to look at it as a series of responsibilities – to your family and to your society. It’s like the JFK quote – “ask not what your country (or world) can do for you, ask what you can do for your country (or world).”
What was the hardest for your wife to put up with?
Well, my wife’s a saint. At one point, I built a biblical hut in our living room, and she didn’t appreciate the construction project in our apartment. Also, the Bible says not to touch women during that time of the month. Even more strictly, though, it says you shouldn’t sit in a seat where an “impure” woman has sat. My wife didn’t like that, so in retaliation, she sat on every seat in our apartment. I was forced to do a lot of standing that year.
It seems he didn't understand the concept of what happened in the New Testament, a Savior who sacrificed His perfect life for the good of all man. And even though he experienced what God can do in his life by following the superficial lifestyle of a Christian, because he didn't connect it with Jesus, the truth that was blatantly staring him in his face, seemed to escape him. It's sad.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A day in the email life
Baxter and I routinely chat intermittently throughout the day via email, as most couples do, I presume. I just want to give you a little taste of what it would be like to be inside our marriage.
Here's an email excerpt.
To: 'Baxter Horton'
Subject: shopping
1 Load of groceries - $163.50
1 Hershey’s Bar – $1.14
1 Look of pure satisfaction on a chocolate covered face – priceless
Shopping went great, but I forgot your breakfast pockets… sorry.
How does the day go?
Love you
Amy
To: 'Amy Horton'
Subject: RE: shopping
Dang it…get the back to thy store immediately!! How can the lowly peasant expect a King to rule over his dominion with no breakfast pockets!
To: 'Baxter Horton'
Subject: RE: shopping
You will soon be wretching over the taste of thine own feces, if you shan’t end the complaints forthwith sir.
You can have tortillas and cheese like the lowly scullery maid.
To: 'Amy Horton'
Subject:RE: Shopping
Lol…Who ate the chocolate? You?
To:'Baxter Horton"
Subject: RE: Shopping
Actually, lol. After taylor ate 2/3 of it in 20 seconds and said “mommy, I feel thick” she offered me the 3 hand melted squares that were left and I pathetically obliged.
And scene...
I know it's not the most riveting, or romantic, but I think it's just grand.
Here's an email excerpt.
To: 'Baxter Horton'
Subject: shopping
1 Load of groceries - $163.50
1 Hershey’s Bar – $1.14
1 Look of pure satisfaction on a chocolate covered face – priceless
Shopping went great, but I forgot your breakfast pockets… sorry.
How does the day go?
Love you
Amy
To: 'Amy Horton'
Subject: RE: shopping
Dang it…get the back to thy store immediately!! How can the lowly peasant expect a King to rule over his dominion with no breakfast pockets!
To: 'Baxter Horton'
Subject: RE: shopping
You will soon be wretching over the taste of thine own feces, if you shan’t end the complaints forthwith sir.
You can have tortillas and cheese like the lowly scullery maid.
To: 'Amy Horton'
Subject:RE: Shopping
Lol…Who ate the chocolate? You?
To:'Baxter Horton"
Subject: RE: Shopping
Actually, lol. After taylor ate 2/3 of it in 20 seconds and said “mommy, I feel thick” she offered me the 3 hand melted squares that were left and I pathetically obliged.
And scene...
I know it's not the most riveting, or romantic, but I think it's just grand.
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